Grain-drier.



No. 660,407. Patented Oct. 23,1900. G. WERNER G. J. H. HILLIKEB.

W/TNESSES .l /N VENTO/175.

vnr. mams wetens col. wom-umn. wAsHmsTcn. uA c.

Patented ont. 23, man.V

G. wam-:3&1 H. HILLIKER.v

GRAIN-'DHIER (No Model.)

IlIllIIII/lllllll (Application led Apr. 18, 1900.)

TH: NuRms PETERS co, PHOTULITHQ, wAsmN:,roN. n. c.

shuts-sheet a.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT OEETCE.-

GEORGE WERNER AND JOHN H. HILLIKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GRAIN-omen.

sPEcIFiATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,407, dated october 23, 1900.

Application ined April 1s, 1900.

in the county of Queens, State of New York,

citizens ofthe United States, haverinvented a new and Improved Grain-Drier, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved grain-drier more especially designed for rapidly and thoroughly drying wet grain, such as spentbrewers malt or 'theA like, the drier being simple and durable in construction, continuous in operation, and arranged to completely remove the moisture from the grain and insure the delivery of a perfectly-dry material ready for convenient packing and storing, free from obnoxious odors, and perfectly healthful for feeding stock or for other purposes.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and `combinations of the same, as will be fully described .hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings," forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional side elevation of the improvement with parts in elevation. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same on the line 3 3 in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of part of the improvement on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same on the line 5 5 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged. side elevation of part of one of the' agitators, a portion being shown in section. Fig. 7is an end View of the same with the wings removed, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the agitators.

The improved grain-drier is provided with a furnace A, built of a suitable material and having a fire-box A', from which lead channels A2 for the passage of the smoke and gases arising from the burning fuel in the fire-box, said smoke and gases finally passing to a chimney A3 after having passed around Serial No. 13,333. (No model.)

a closed chamber A4, built Within'the furnace A, and highly heated by the smoke and gases in their passage from the fire-box A' to the chimney A2. Through the heating-chamber A4 and through the end walls of the furnace extend drums or -retorts B B' B2 B3, lo-

cated one above the other andinclined in `such a manner that the lower end of the uppermost drum B is adjacent to the upper end of the next following drum B'- and the lower end of the latter is adjacent to the upper end of the drum B2, while the lower end of said drum B2 is adjacent to theupper end of the drum B3. The upper end of the drum B opens into a feedbox C, connected with a hopper D, adapted to contain the Wet grain to be dried, the grain passing from said hopper throughV the box C into the upper drum B to be heated therein, as hereinafter more lfully described, and to be finally discharged at ,the lower end of the-drum into a box C', also connecting with the upper end ofthe drum B', so that the material discharged from the drum B passes through the box O' into the drum B' and then through the latter into a box C2, .con-

`necting the lower end of the drum B' with the upper end of the drum B2. The material now passes from the box C through the drum B2 `into the box O2,connecting`thelower end of the drum B2 with the upper end of the drum B5, so that the material finally travels through the latter. The box O' is connected by an upwardly-extending branch pipe E with a pipe E for carrying off the steam and vapors, and a similar branch pipe E2 leads from the upper end of the box C3. The material finally passes through the drum BS and leaves the latter in a dry condition and passes over a chute F into a pipe F', connected with a suction-fan or other means for carrying olf the dry material to one side of the machine. able mechanismfor carrying off the grain after it leaves the drum. B3 may, however, be employed.

In each of the drums B B' B2 B3 is an agitator or beater G, having a shaft G', arms G2, and wings G3 on said `arms for agitating or beating the material as'it passes through the drums. The drums B B' B2 B3 are rotated, and so are the beaters G, to insure a very rapid and thorough drying of the grain during the passage of the latter through the drums, it

Other suit- IOO being understood that the grain has a tendency to travel through the drums owing to the inclination thereof, it being, however, assisted by the agitators or beaters G. Now as the drums B revolve in the highly-heated chamber A4 it is evident that the grain is thoroughly heated, so that the moisture in the grain is readily vaporized and passes off from the boxes C and C3 by way of the brauch pipes E E2 and pipe E to the outside. The drums B B B2 B3 are journaled in suitable bearings B4, held at the ends of the furnace A, as plainly indicat-ed in Figs. l, 4t, and 5, and said drums are rotated from a main shaft H, journaled in suitable bearings on one side of the machine, as indicated in Fig. 2. Y

The main shaft H carries a pulley H', connected by belt with other machinery for imparting a rotary motion to said shaft H, and on the latter is secured a gear-wheel H2, in mesh with a pinion H2, fastened on a transverse shaftH4, journaled in suitable bearings on the front end of the machine. On the shaft H4 is secured a worm H5, in mesh with a worm-wheel I, secured on the lower outer end of the drinn B2,. so that when the shaft H4 is rotated from the shaft H by the gearwheels H2 H3 then the said worm H5 rotates the YWorm-wheel I, whereby the lowermost drum B3 is turned in its bearings. The upper outer end of the drum B3 is provided with a gear-wheel 1, in mesh with a gear-wheel l2 on the lower end of the drum B2, so that the rotary motion given to the drum B3, as described, is imparted by the gear-wheels l l2 to the drum B2. On the upper end of the drum B2 is secured a gear-wheel I3, in mesh with a gear-wheel I4 on the drum B, so that the latter is rotated from the drum B2, and the upper end of the drum B is connected by gear-wheels l5 I6 with the lower end of the drum B, so that the latter is rotated from the drum B-that is, the several drums B3B2B B are simultaneously rotated and in unison when the shaft His turned.

A The agitators G are driven from the shaft H4, and for this purpose the latter is provided with a sproclxetwheel H, connected by a sprocket-chain H7 with a sprocket-wheel H8 on a shaft J, journaled in suitable bearings on the upper front end of the furnace A. The shaft J is connected by sprocket-wheels J and J3 and asprocket-chain J2With a shaft J4, likewise journaled in the front end of the furnace, and on said shaft J4 is secured a bevel gear-wheel J5, meshing with a bevelgear K, secured on the outer upper end of the shaft G of the agitator or beater contained in the uppermost drum B. The shaft G is journaled in suitable bearings in the boxes C C and extends to the outside thereof, and the lower end of said shaft outside of the box C is connected by a gear-wheel K with a gear-wheel K2 on the outer end of the shaft G of the agitator contained in the drum B. The agitators in the drums B' B2 are similarly connected by gear-wheels K2 K4, and gearwheels K5 K6 coiinec't the agitators in the' drums B2 B2, as will be readily `understood by reference to Fig. l.'

Now when the shaft H4 is rotated from the main shaft H, as previously explained, then a rotary motion is given to the shafts J J4 by the intermediate mechanism mentioned, and the rotary motion of the shaft J4 is transmitted by the gear-wheels J5 and K to the shaft G of the uppermost agitator. As the several agitator-shafts are connected with each other in the manner described, it is evident that they are simultaneously rotated, so that all the drums and the agitators are si; `m'ultaneously rotated to insure a very rapid drying of the grain as the latter passes through the several drums. as above described.

In the hopper D is arranged a feed-screw D for uniformly feeding the grain or other material from the -hopper into the uppermost box C, and this feed-screw D is secured on a shaft D2, which is journaled centrally in the hopper and is provided with an agitating-arm D3 to prevent the material from balling. The upper end of the shaft D2 is connected by bevel gearwheels D4 .D5 with a transverse shaft D6, carrying a sprocket-wheel D7, connected by asprocket-chain D8 with a sprocketwheel D9 on the shaft J, previously referred to, so that when the latter is turned a rota-ry motion is given to the feed-screw shaft D2 by the intermediate mechanism just mentioned, so that a proper feeding of the material from the hopper D to the box C takes place.

It is expressly understood that the material while flowing through the several heated drums is agitated by the beaters G and is highly heated and at the same time the moisture contained in the material is readily vaporized. The vapors from the drums B B readily pass into the box C and pass from the latter by the branch pipe E into the pipe E, and, if necessary, this pipe may be connected with a suction-fan to insure a very rapid withdrawal of the generated vapors.

The box C2 is preferably provided near its top with an inlet-opening C4 for air, so that the air flows through the .drums B B2 and causes a rapid tiow of the vapors to the boxes C O2, it being understood that the vapors from the latter pass by the branch pipe E2 to the pipe E.

By the use of this apparatus wet grainsuch as spent brewers malt, for instance-- can be fed through the apparatus in a continuous stream, with the result that all the moisture is removed and the grain passes in a perfectly-dry condition from the lower end of the lowermost drum B2 with all the obnoxious odors completely removed, so that the material is in a very healthful condition for feeding it to stock or for other purposes and for conveniently packing and storing the material, if desired.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patenteeofiof V l. A grain-drier, comprisinga furnace having a heating-chamber, drums mounted to revolve in the chamber of the furnace,the drums being alternately inclined in opposite directions and geared together at their converging ends, boxes arranged on the ends of the furnace over the projecting ends of the drums, stirrers arranged in the drums and having their shafts projecting through the said boxes and geared together, means for operating the drums and beaters, a hopper discharging into one of the said boxes, a rotary feed device in the hopper, and means for operating the feed device from the stirrer-operating means, substantially as describedlv j 2. A grain-drier, comprising a furnace havinga heating-chamber, drums mounted torevolve in the chamber of the furnace and inclined alternately in opposite directions, each drum being provided with gear-wheels at its ends, the gear-wheels of adjacent drums at their converging ends meshing with each other, boxes on the ends of the furnace over the projecting ends of the drums, stirrers arranged in the drums and having their shafts projecting through the said boxes and provided with gear- Wheels thereon, the gear- Wheels at the converging ends of the shafts meshing with each other, a drive-shaft, gearing between the drive-shaft and one end of the lowermost drum, a shaft geared with the stirrer of the uppermost drum, and means for operating said shaft from the drive-shaft, substantially as described.

3. A grain-drier, com prising a furnace having an interior chamber around which the products of combustion pass, drums mounted in the said chamber and having their ends extending through the end Walls of the fur# nace, the drums being alternately inclined in opposite directions and having their converging ends outside of the furnace geared together, boxes on the outside of the furnace over the ends of the drums, stirrers mounted in the drums and having their shafts projecting through the said boxes and geared together, and means for operating the drums and stirrers, substantially as described.

4. In a grain-drier, the combination with a furnace having a heating-chamber, drums mounted to revolve in the said chamber and inclined alternately in opposite directions,- the converging ends of the drums being geared together, stirrers in the drums and having their converging ends geared together, and means for operating the drums and stirrers, of a hopper for feeding the grain to the uppermost drum, a feed-screw in the hopper, an

agitating-arm secured upon the shaft of they feed-screw above thesame, and means for operating the feed-screw shaft from the drum and stirrer operating means, substantially as described. f y

' 5. In a grain-drier, the combination with a revolving drum, of a shaft mounted in the drum, a series of oppositely-projecting arms secured to the shaft, and Wings carried by the outer ends of the arms, the Wings being secured alternately to two oppositely-projecting arms, substantially as herein shown and described.

GEORGE WERNER. JOHN H. HILLIKER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM RosENBUsH, JACOB WERNER. 

